LonelyBird mentioned the book "Age of Acquiescence " A quick look at the synopsis of the book and my first thought was shame on us. It talks about the growing disparity and my interpretation is : It talks about the lack of resistance to the growing income gap. The goal to drive the USA into submission is working. Even a benefactor calls it to attention. Trump says make American Great again. The main thing not great in the USA is the declining standard of living of the majority. The first memorable attack on the pride of the worker came from an unlikely source. John F. Kennedy spoke " ask not what your country can do for you". That is when the average person was asked to assume and share the responsibility of the affluent. That is when the average person was made to fee like a millionaire having a temporary cash flow problem. People shamed for receiving help because they were told they could do anything and succeed. All the way through to Jeb Bush saying we need to work harder. Pride of self worth needs to start demanding everything that has been legislated away. Poor people are not supposed to need help says the manager that changed laws that made gambling illegal into laws that created largest pools of hoarded money in the history of the world.

Life is very complicated and every issue of the day is not so straight forward that it can be easily solved with a sound bite solution. But that's what Americans like...or demand. Easy sound bites that turn a complicated world into a catchy phrase. Politicians like Donald Trump understand that very well, but also the rich oligarchs that seek to turn the American Middle Class against itself by focusing on social and religious issues to win them over.

So we acquiesce and go along with the herd...or whatever direction the corporate media leads us. Our brains become numb for lack of critical thinking. We react emotionally about every event on TV or in the Washington Post headlines. And soon our responses become more predictably Pavlovian, lacking insight...following only what our tribal leaders think.

Donald Trump is amassing a larger and larger tribe that cheers his every pronouncement or promise. He tells his niche audience what they want to hear. It makes them feel good. It makes them happy. And it makes the media all too grateful for the opportunity to marvel in his success...and share in the ratings that the "carnival barker" seems to automatically demand as microphones are put in his face and he entertains them.

Yes, we are being driven into submission, but at least the many members on this website don't buy into that crap. However, we are so few compared to the masses that listen to and cheer on the carnival barker.

Life is very complicated and every issue of the day is not so straight forward that it can be easily solved with a sound bite solution. But that's what Americans like...or demand. Easy sound bites that turn a complicated world into a catchy phrase. Politicians like Donald Trump understand that very well, but also the rich oligarchs that seek to turn the American Middle Class against itself by focusing on social and religious issues to win them over.

So we acquiesce and go along with the herd...or whatever direction the corporate media leads us. Our brains become numb for lack of critical thinking. We react emotionally about every event on TV or in the Washington Post headlines. And soon our responses become more predictably Pavlovian, lacking insight...following only what our tribal leaders think.

Donald Trump is amassing a larger and larger tribe that cheers his every pronouncement or promise. He tells his niche audience what they want to hear. It makes them feel good. It makes them happy. And it makes the media all too grateful for the opportunity to marvel in his success...and share in the ratings that the "carnival barker" seems to automatically demand as microphones are put in his face and he entertains them.

Yes, we are being driven into submission, but at least the many members on this website don't buy into that crap. However, we are so few compared to the masses that listen to and cheer on the carnival barker.

Schmidt, at present because of the total imbalance of the whole world, the opportunity for a Hitler type opens up. Just as an example on how things work at present the following: The unemployment rate has been reduced to 5.1%, however this not considered good (by certain people) because the wages are rising a bit and blame Obama that then the "margins" in the industry become less (less profit) and then on purpose drive the stock market even further down. Right now the "timing" of all these things is kind of suspicious; I guess the 1% is very busy to make sure that they stay in charge, also with a "new" president. Everything in the stock market points to that. I'm afraid that the Dem's are a bit asleep and naïve related to what games are being played.

Life is very complicated and every issue of the day is not so straight forward that it can be easily solved with a sound bite solution. But that's what Americans like...or demand. Easy sound bites that turn a complicated world into a catchy phrase. Politicians like Donald Trump understand that very well, but also the rich oligarchs that seek to turn the American Middle Class against itself by focusing on social and religious issues to win them over.

So we acquiesce and go along with the herd...or whatever direction the corporate media leads us. Our brains become numb for lack of critical thinking. We react emotionally about every event on TV or in the Washington Post headlines. And soon our responses become more predictably Pavlovian, lacking insight...following only what our tribal leaders think.

Donald Trump is amassing a larger and larger tribe that cheers his every pronouncement or promise. He tells his niche audience what they want to hear. It makes them feel good. It makes them happy. And it makes the media all too grateful for the opportunity to marvel in his success...and share in the ratings that the "carnival barker" seems to automatically demand as microphones are put in his face and he entertains them.

Yes, we are being driven into submission, but at least the many members on this website don't buy into that crap. However, we are so few compared to the masses that listen to and cheer on the carnival barker.

Times are changing . It was not very long ago that topics discussed here would have negative results. The aquiescensing then was bad medicine you had to take with a smile, thank you sir may I have another and hoping to be unnoticed. The reality as I see it is that we are dangerously close to disorder. Remember that dissorder is carried out by the disorderly. People that see it as fufillment. Probably ruining any meaningful message. I dont digress for lack of focus . That is just how it is. Somwhere or how , I hope, will appear a charsmatic person or enlightening to put it together in a readily palpable movement. People have rights. Stepping up to collect those rights will start to put order and meaning to life. Nobody needs to be or has to be an apologist in identifying rights.

the focus of eraser's book is the change that occurred between the response of the populace and labor to the rise of the gilded age during what faster calls the long nineteenth century and the lack of response to the second gilded age that has occurred since approximately the 1970's. an essential part of this has been mythology. the mythology of anyone can get rich, the mythology of the job creators and so on. there is also the meme of the government being bad and a host of other issues the author discusses. financialization is included in the discussion as well.

I may not be qualified to speak on this subject, since I have not read the material spoken of. But I did see someone quoting John F. Kennedy, when he said: --- --- "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." Those words have echoed down the halls of History, so I hope they have not acquired any misinterpretation. When JFK became President, in 1961, the USA was just climbing out of many bad years full of bad Wars, especially World War 2 --- and JFK had gone through some terrible times. His father had been Ambassador to England, and got lots of criticism for some of his advice. And JFK had 2 or 3 brothers & sisters killed in that war. And JFK himself was nearly killed when the Japanese torpedoed his PT-109 boat, & he and his crew swam to an island, until they could get help. Jack had severe injuries to his back and had pain problems the rest of his life. Had one back operation that almost killed him while married to Jackie. (That is how I know that all the wicked rumors that were spread by the "right-wing Press" are all False, because Jack could not be doing all the escapades he was accused of, with his physical condition. He had a few close friends that visited him in the White House, and one was a famous publisher, who spoke of how Jack had to take a lot of pain medications all the time, and at night he would be sitting in the TV room, in a recliner situated to be more comfortable for his back. He wore a back brace, as you may remember, & he had it on the day he was shot. He was one of those guys who never tried to get sympathy, & wanted to appear very Macho and strong. He wrote much of his book "Profiles in Courage" while laying in a hospital bed, recuperating from one of his back surgeries. (In it, he wrote about the courage of OTHER men). So with this perspective, you can better understand why JFK was speaking that famous phrase --- "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what YOU can do for your country." He saw 2 or 3 brothers & sisters killed in WW2, & he himself was nearly killed, & left in constant pain. And even after that, he was murdered by a psychopath of the GOP, who was extremely jealous of him, We are even deprived of knowing (for sure) who his assassin was. The SECRET was locked up in CIA records until the year 2039. (Long enough so the culprit would never have to be punished or go to jail. But the latest I have heard, is that those "secret" documents have mysteriously been stolen out of CIA records, so we may never know who did it. (BUT a little CLUE --- those records were stolen during the Presidency of George H.W. Bush, (# 41), who was in CIA himself.

NOW, many people do not remember too much about JFK, and what they have heard may largely be "disinformation" put out by his enemies, --- like how he must have had sex with any female on planet earth, & how Marilyn Monroe was sneaking into the White House, & all kinds of weird psychotic stuff put out by the "right wing" press. But while they are blabbing about all that -- think about how J.Edgar Hoover (GOP - FBI director) was wearing dresses & had a gay lover.

It all was really "strange" back then, and Myths & Legends were made up of gossip and twisted humor. But trying to put all the pieces back together can be a life long pursuit of dedicated journalists and Fans of JFK. They now know that LBJ (who was Vice Pres, under JFK), was obsessed with jealousy & spitefulness & wanted some kind of revenge. (LBJ also ran around with a big bunch of Texas GOP cowboy types, very wealthy gamblers, into OIL & the stock market, & drank most of the time). Being GOP, they would have gladly killed JFK, over a BET or a LIE. And they knew that in Texas, you can get by with anything, you just have to know what bribe to use for which law enforcement. Since LBJ was Vice President for JFK, he had a lot of power, & was respected no matter what he did

But there are times I am overwhelmed with the Tragedy of that time. There was our gallant White Knight, just got elected, a young vibrant new husband & had a baby daughter & son - a War Hero -- who loved Music and Poetry, and let his baby daughter & son play inside the Desk - in the Oval Office. We had a few bad times with Cuba, & with Viet Nam, & Khruschev was often banging his fist. But life was prosperous, we had low unemployment, most people had a home and a car and a job. There was something in the air -- (& not pollution, yet) -- an air of Optimism, & a feeling that ALL WAS WELL. With a wonderful country like this, with such a gallant man at the Helm, it felt like Paradise. What could possibly go wrong? ------ Yeah, what could possibly go wrong? Now I see a grave in a cemetery, with John Kennedy's name on it, --- and an "Eternal Flame" by its side. (Gosh, that is MY name). -- REST IN PEACE. I do remember CAMELOT.

I may not be qualified to speak on this subject, since I have not read the material spoken of. But I did see someone quoting John F. Kennedy, when he said: --- --- "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." Those words have echoed down the halls of History, so I hope they have not acquired any misinterpretation. When JFK became President, in 1961, the USA was just climbing out of many bad years full of bad Wars, especially World War 2 --- and JFK had gone through some terrible times. His father had been Ambassador to England, and got lots of criticism for some of his advice. And JFK had 2 or 3 brothers & sisters killed in that war. And JFK himself was nearly killed when the Japanese torpedoed his PT-109 boat, & he and his crew swam to an island, until they could get help. Jack had severe injuries to his back and had pain problems the rest of his life. Had one back operation that almost killed him while married to Jackie. (That is how I know that all the wicked rumors that were spread by the "right-wing Press" are all False, because Jack could not be doing all the escapades he was accused of, with his physical condition. He had a few close friends that visited him in the White House, and one was a famous publisher, who spoke of how Jack had to take a lot of pain medications all the time, and at night he would be sitting in the TV room, in a recliner situated to be more comfortable for his back. He wore a back brace, as you may remember, & he had it on the day he was shot. He was one of those guys who never tried to get sympathy, & wanted to appear very Macho and strong. He wrote much of his book "Profiles in Courage" while laying in a hospital bed, recuperating from one of his back surgeries. (In it, he wrote about the courage of OTHER men). So with this perspective, you can better understand why JFK was speaking that famous phrase --- "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what YOU can do for your country." He saw 2 or 3 brothers & sisters killed in WW2, & he himself was nearly killed, & left in constant pain. And even after that, he was murdered by a psychopath of the GOP, who was extremely jealous of him, We are even deprived of knowing (for sure) who his assassin was. The SECRET was locked up in CIA records until the year 2039. (Long enough so the culprit would never have to be punished or go to jail. But the latest I have heard, is that those "secret" documents have mysteriously been stolen out of CIA records, so we may never know who did it. (BUT a little CLUE --- those records were stolen during the Presidency of George H.W. Bush, (# 41), who was in CIA himself.

NOW, many people do not remember too much about JFK, and what they have heard may largely be "disinformation" put out by his enemies, --- like how he must have had sex with any female on planet earth, & how Marilyn Monroe was sneaking into the White House, & all kinds of weird psychotic stuff put out by the "right wing" press. But while they are blabbing about all that -- think about how J.Edgar Hoover (GOP - FBI director) was wearing dresses & had a gay lover.

It all was really "strange" back then, and Myths & Legends were made up of gossip and twisted humor. But trying to put all the pieces back together can be a life long pursuit of dedicated journalists and Fans of JFK. They now know that LBJ (who was Vice Pres, under JFK), was obsessed with jealousy & spitefulness & wanted some kind of revenge. (LBJ also ran around with a big bunch of Texas GOP cowboy types, very wealthy gamblers, into OIL & the stock market, & drank most of the time). Being GOP, they would have gladly killed JFK, over a BET or a LIE. And they knew that in Texas, you can get by with anything, you just have to know what bribe to use for which law enforcement. Since LBJ was Vice President for JFK, he had a lot of power, & was respected no matter what he did

But there are times I am overwhelmed with the Tragedy of that time. There was our gallant White Knight, just got elected, a young vibrant new husband & had a baby daughter & son - a War Hero -- who loved Music and Poetry, and let his baby daughter & son play inside the Desk - in the Oval Office. We had a few bad times with Cuba, & with Viet Nam, & Khruschev was often banging his fist. But life was prosperous, we had low unemployment, most people had a home and a car and a job. There was something in the air -- (& not pollution, yet) -- an air of Optimism, & a feeling that ALL WAS WELL. With a wonderful country like this, with such a gallant man at the Helm, it felt like Paradise. What could possibly go wrong? ------ Yeah, what could possibly go wrong? Now I see a grave in a cemetery, with John Kennedy's name on it, --- and an "Eternal Flame" by its side. (Gosh, that is MY name). -- REST IN PEACE. I do remember CAMELOT.

Eternal flame, You might find the Billy Sol Estes story in Spartacus interesting reading. They were swindling in the 20 millions then which is closer to a billion in today's money. It is beyond imagination.Here is the link to the story. spartacus-educational.com/JFKestes.htm